Fischman



g- 9, 1955 s. FISCHMAN 2,714,924

AUXILIARY CHAIR Filed Dec. 21, 1955 4' .ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 2,714,924 Patented Aug. 9, 1955 AUXILIARY CHAIR Sylvia Fischmnn, Forest Hills, N. Y. Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,465 3 Claims. (Cl. 155-131) The present invention relates to auxiliary chairs or chairettes and more particularly to a chair accessory adapted for placement on the seat of a chair of conventional size in order to elevate the position of a sitter thereon.

In a chair of normal size intended for an adult occupant, the height of the seat is such that when the chair is used by a child, the resultant level of the child with reference say to a dining table is below the position making for comfort. In fact, with a small child, all that may be visible from another seat around the table is the head of the child. In such circumstances it is conventional to place cushions or heavy books on the seat of the chair in order to raise the position of the seated child to a suitable level. While such makeshift expedients may serve to elevate the child somewhat, they provide a seat which is insecure, uncomfortable and otherwise inadequate. A further drawback is that the childs feet are left swinging without any support, for in most cases he is unable to rest them upon the floor and he is beyond the reach of the horizontal strut attached to the front legs of the chair, in the event a strut is provided thereon.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary chair readily adaptable for placement on the seat of a chair of ordinary size for raising the position of the occupant.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide an auxiliary chair of the above type which is comfortable and affords a good measure of security for the young and perhaps restless occupant thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary chair with an adjustable footrest.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary chair having a footrest which is foldable under the seat of the auxiliary chair, whereby the chair may be stored in a minimum of space.

For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects and features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed specification to be read in conjunction with the attached drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a chairette in accord ance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the underside of the chairette when the footrest is folded back;

Fig. 3 is a detail of the footrest;

Fig. 4 is a preferred modification of the invention to provide an adjustable height for the seat of the chairette; and

Fig. 5 is a preferred modification of the adjustable footrest.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated an auxiliary chair positioned on the seat of a chair 11 of normal size. Chair 11 is only partially shown and comprises the usual seat 12 and legs 13.

The auxiliary chair or chairette comprises a pair of vertical side-pieces 14 and 15, a back member 16, a horizontal seat interconnecting the side-pieces and the back member, and an adjustable footrest including a pair of arms 17 and 18 and a step 19. Each of the sidepieces 14 and 15 is shaped from a rectangular body fabricated of wood or the like to define a pair of short legs 14 and 14" and 15 and 15", respectively. Attached to the upper edge of side-pieces 14 and 15 and extending laterally therefrom are arm rests 20 and 21, respectively. The seat and the back-rest as well as the inner walls of the side-pieces may be suitably padded or cushioned, if preferred. The arms 17 and 18 are pivotally attached to legs 14" and 15", respectively, by means of a dowel member 22 which extends through bores in the arms, the extremes of the dowel being secured in the legs.

The arms 17 and 18 are generally L shaped, that is to say the upper ends thereof are curved to form a horizontal extension whereby the arms clear the seat upon which the auxiliary chair rests and the remainder of the arms fall below the seat and lie vertically relative thereto. It will be evident that when the chairette is positioned in place on a chair, the footrest will be prevented by the seat of the chair from swinging, thereby providing a secure rest for the feet of the occupant.

The step 19 as shown separately in Fig. 3 is provided at either end with a 90 bracket 23, which is fixedly secured to the step and also to the associated arm by means of a bolt and wing nut 24. The arms 17 and 18 are provided with a series of spaced apertures to receive the bolt, whereby the step may be positioned to accominodate the feet of a given occupant.

As will be seen in Fig. 2, the footrest may be folded under the seat of the auxiliary chair, thereby making a compact package which may be easily stored or carried.

Rather than provide a limited number of spaced apertures in the arms of the footrest, it may be desirable to provide means whereby the step can be positioned at any given point along the arms. Thus the arms may take the form shown sectionally in Fig. 4, wherein numerals 25 and 26 represent the arms of a longitudinal channel 25 and 26', respectively. The ends of the step 27 are provided with rectangular frames through which the arms extend, whereby the step may be slid up or down the arms. Tightening screws 28 are provided in bores in the frames to engage the associated channels 25 and 26 on the arms and retain the step at a selected position.

Should it be necessary to elevate the seat of the auxiliary chair to a height even greater than that provided by the legs thereof, a telescoping leg extension may be attached to the legs as shown in Fig. 5 wherein numeral 29 designates one leg of an auxiliary chair and 30 designates a leg extension which is formed by a hollow body having a rectangular cross-section. The leg 29 is received within the extension and is secured thereto by means of a screw 31 projecting through one of a series of spaced bores in the extension and a registered bore in the leg. It will be seen that the length of the extension may be adjusted by shifting the position of the leg.

While there has been shown what at present is considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A chairette adapted for placement upon the seating surface of a normal-sized chair to elevate the position of a sitter thereon, comprising a pair of vertical sidepieces each having a front leg and a rear leg, a hori- Zontal member interconnecting said side-pieces to provide a seat on the upper surface thereof and a. compartment on the under surface thereof, and a footrest comprising a pair of arms pivotally secured to said front legs at points adjacent said undersurface and foldable into said compartment, said footrest arms being outwardly and downwardly extendable to clear the seating surface of said normal-sized chair and to provide a resting step for the feet of said sitter.

2. A chairette adapted for placement upon the seating surface of a normal-sized chair to elevate the position of a sitter thereon, comprising a pair of vertical sidepieces each having a front leg and a rear leg, a horizontal member interconnecting said side-pieces to provide a seat on the upper surface thereof and a compartrnent on the under surface thereof, and a footrest including a pair of spaced arms pivotally secured to said front legs and adjacent said undersurface foldable into said compartment, said footrest arms being outwardly and downwardly extendible to provide a resting step for the feet of said sitter, the upper end of said footrest being curved to effect clearance thereof from the seating surface of said normal-sized chair.

3. A chairette adapted for placement upon the seating surface of a normal-sized chair to elevate the position of a sitter thereof, comprising a pair of vertical sidepieces each having a front and rear leg, a horizontal seat interconnecting said side-pieces above the legs therein, a back member for said seat, and a footrest including a pair of spaced arms whose upper ends are pivotally attached to respective front legs of said side-pieces adjacent said horizontal seat, the upper ends being curved to efiect clearance of said arms from the seating surface of said normal-sized chair, and an adjustable horizontal step connecting said arms, said arms being foldable below said seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 285,665 Peck Sept. 25, 1883 315,779 Haynes Apr. 14, 1885 390,801 Parker Oct. 9, 1888 740,966 Wylie Oct. 6, 1903 1,587,253 Tarbox June 1, 1926 2,177,174 Eccles Oct. 24, 1939 2,546,871 Schley Mar. 27. 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 18,145 Germany May 13. 1881 

